JohnC

That should have been a priority when he was first drafted. It would have helped in his development, and it would have made the team better by solidifying the second pairing that gets a lot of playing time. And other related issues are who is going to be paired with Dahlin and if Byram is traded how will the pairings shake out?

Much of the team's success or not is predicated on better defensive player by the blue liners and lines. Will the goaltending beupgraded? If the other units play better, it will. I'm not assuming that there will be a dramatic defensive upgrade but expect better play on that end this season. Will it make much of a difference from a record standpoint? I think so. There's no reason not to believe that individually and collectively that Quinn, Benson and Power will not be better. The biggest issue for me will be how UPL plays. If he surprises us in a positive way, then this team should be at least respectable. In general, you seem to lean toward the negative while I grudgingly lean toward just maybe this team is on a more positive route. And another open issue is how will the Byram saga play out? I don't know.

I thought the Hockey Guy gave a fair assessment of the roster. He made the same point that is often made that improvement is dependent on young players such as Kulich, Benson and Power to take a noticeable step up. As is often stated in this forum, success is predicated on a lot of "ifs" falling into the yes column. It seemed to me that he appears to be confident that a Byram deal will be made this offseason. And as I believe/hope that he believes that Samuelsson is salvageable and can be a contributing defender probably starting off as a third pairing player and working to regain his confidence. TBD. I thought his comment about how negatively players outside the organization view the Sabres makes it difficult to attract players. The only way to change that is to win and become a more respectable franchise. Just my reading into his comments, maybe overinterpreting???, it seems that he doesn't have much regard for KA.

Most people would agree with you that KA did well with the McCleod trade. There always will be dissenters but the general view is that it was a good deal for this team. The hope is that he can make some more immediate help deals.

Would you have preferred that Mitts wasn’t traded for Byram and then have McCleod and Mitts vying with one another for the 2 and 3C spots?

I don’t want to make excuses for Samuelsson’s lack of play but I attribute much of it to him being plagued with injuries than to lack of effort after garnering a big contract. TBD. I’m more upbeat than most on Power. TBD. As far as a Byram, I’m for keeping him if a trade return is not sufficient. In my view, the GM is handling this situation well. On UPL, I don’t know.

I just think that you are being closed minded on Samuelsson playing as a good third pairing player who will be versatile enough to move up the pairings when needed. It wouldn't be stunning to me if he ends up as a first or second pairing player. I'm not trying to alter your hardened opinion of him but to be willing to reconsider your assessment if his play warrants it.

No with stripping a team for a player who is going to require a$12M plus on a long-term deal. To get a player like Johnson it would take dispatching multiple young players such as Power, Kulich and Benson plus picks. That makes little sense to me, especially for a team that is thin to begin with. Good franchises that are competently run usually end up doing what they have to do to keep their best players. Buffalo doesn't fall in that competently run category.

That's the central issue. Players elect to leave teams for a number of reasons. He was an UFA and under a contract status that allowed him to have choices. If he were determined to leave, the team had no control to keep him. What the GM didn't do is come up with a reasonable option just in case he did choose to leave. What happened shouldn't have been a surprise to the organization because he was an UFA who hadn't signed. What compounds the loss even more is that the GM hasn't adequately filled that hole since he left. (As you point out.)

As you point out there is value in a player who can move up in his role when needed. In a injury riddled game that versatility is an asset.

You make a keen observation about McCleod. When you watch him play there is nothing eye-popping about his game. However, what he does provide is responsible two-way play on both ends of the ice. There is a consistency to his game that masks his effectiveness. Just using this comparison to make a point but you can watch a JJP make an end to end rush ending with an impressive laser shot that ends in the net. But to go along with the highlight play is a lapse in the defensive zone where the player he is responsible for is left unattended to put in a rebound. The point I'm making is not in comparing the two players but how one player's consistently steady play can get lost and not appreciated as much as it should be in a game where there are some highlights. The Sabres are still a very young team. What he provides to this team is maturity in play that that this team needs more of. KA did well in trading or him. Both McCleod and Zucker are the type of players that this roster needs more of. Both players are good examples for the young players to follow.

I just don't see Quinn fitting in a lower line role, even if it has some higher traits to it. Either Quinn succeeds as a first or second line forward or he becomes categorized as an ineffective player. It would be so beneficial if he can get healthy, stronger and provide added scoring. He's going to be an intriguing player to watch within the young group that includes Benson and Power. This team is counting on a lot of internal improvement in its rebuild strategy.

The Sabres ended up getting a defenseman in the trade to help shore up a unit that needed buttressing. With the Sabres, he will be 20 minute player. The critical issue isn’t so much what his role was with Utah as it will be what will his role will be with the Sabres. It’s likely to be substantial.

I disagree with your negative view of Quinn. I'm hoping this will be a breakout year for him. TBD. Another player to watch is Kulich. It would be terrific if he could make a noticeable step up. I'm joining the minority group with you expecting Samuelsson to have a solid year. To state the obvious: counting on a lot of "ifs".

In any sport, you never really know for sure how your young players are going to develop. Some prospects that you have high expectations end up being miserable failures or simply pedestrian players. And sometimes the player that you don't expect much from become stalworth players. It's the reality of sports that there are few guarantees. The problem (as you noted) is that he had a rebuilding plan and became too committed with it without the flexibility to make adjustments when needed. Players are not stupid. They know what is going on and they know the difference between a successful and well operated franchise and a failed and poorly operated franchise. None of the players you listed such as Eichel, Reinhart, ROR and others wanted to get stuck this morass of mediocrity. What's so aggravating is that when you list the players who wanted out and got out, they should have been the foundational players for a winning franchise. And to highlight the dysfunction here, is the amateurish way our dullard GM handled the goalie position, the most important position in the sport. (As you noted.) The cycle of foolishness constantly gets repeated. And the owner continues to remain silent. Utter ridiculousness!

Hard no.

As you point out, the tax issue is a lame excuse why players don't desire to come here. Taxes in Canada are higher and taxes in California where three teams are located are higher. The Rangers and Islanders are located in the same state. And the Devils are located in Jersey, another high tax state. The Sabres are a team most listed on NTC contracts because it is well recognized that this franchise is plagued with problems. Agents who are acting in their clients' best interest steer their players away from this organization because they have an intimate knowledge how the operation works. And you really don't need to have inside knowledge to recognize what a third-rate franchise looks like. All you need to do is review the record for the past 15 years. Buffalo should be a destination city for a lot of players due to its location. It's close to the border and in close proximity to where a lot of their families live in the offseason. The franchise's fanbase has been severely eroded not because they are not passionate hockey fans but because they are tired of the third-rate hockey offered to them. Their response is no thank you. Compare that response to the Buffalo Bandits where the building is often sold out and the fans are having a fantastic experience watching an entertaining and competitive team?

Poor judgment and foresight have been going on for way too long. Common sense tells you that if any UFA player hasn't been signed at an established point, then you have to consider just in case options. What happens if Tuch decides to hold off contract talks and lets his contract run out? That's an obvious tell that he desires to leave the Sabre scene. The problem isn't that this periodically happens because it happens everywhere. It's just that it happens too much here for the obvious reasons.

Ullmark was an UFA. They didn’t know that he was going to walk because they were negotiating with him during that period. What was the backup plan if the UFA goalie couldn’t be signed? There was none, at least an adequate one. The problem isn’t that a particular player wanted out for whatever reason as it is too many Sabres wanted out and got themselves out. That in itself is a bad indicator.

The standard argument you make about “some people said” is weak and does’t come close to reflecting what really happened. There is never unanimity on any one player or issue. The prevailing view was that he was a credible (not elite) #1 goalie. What’s so demoralizing is that he started in our system, developed in our system only to mishandle his contract negotiations resulting in his departure with no compensation.. This was another self-inflicted setback a la the Reinhardt contract scenario. It’s apparent to most that this backwater franchise is not very adept at handling basic hockey business. If you don’t believe me just check it’s record over the past generation. Freaking stupid!

Stop distorting what has been said. I'm certainly not make a declaration that our current goalie staffing is adequate or not. I don't know. That's the unknown. What I and others have said is if we get consistent goaltending we should be in a position to compete for a lower playoff spot. If you disagree, that's fine.

We had Ullmark on our team and fumbled it away. Although Jack isn't a goalie, we had him and for a variety of reasons fumbled again. We had Reinhart in the system and the ability to extend him and didn't. He subsequently said I'm out of here. I'm aware that the focus is on the goalie position but the circumscribing problem is organizational ineptitude. There's a recognition from even within the system (exhibited by players who want to get out and do get out) that this franchise does not handle its basic business in a competent way. The accumulation of its own missteps has plagued this troubled franchise. Ask yourself, would this franchise be in a better place with Ullmark caliber of goaltending? When you kneecap yourself you will end up limping your way through a race. What makes this situation so ridiculous is that it has been going on for so long.

As @inkman states, if the Sabres get consistent solid goaltending the team will be in the mix as a fringe playoff team. Pegula’s motto is strive for mediocrity. He has embraced the loser’s ethos of the less you expect—-the less you will be disappointed.

A member of the family is broken. 😃

My contempt for this owner continues to grow. Why own a franchise if you act as if you don’t care? Aloofness is not a demonstration of caring about your own product. What this reticent owner with a big boat has shown is that the shameless can’t be shamed. I wish he would sail away. I’m so tired of him!